The book Finish by Jon Acuff is all about … yes, finishing things. The subtitle is “Give Yourself the Gift of Done.” I’m a person who thinks I finish what I start. But in reading this book I realized I can do much better! And, while the author is convicting me left and right, he does it with humor. I haven’t laughed out loud while reading a “self-improvement” book…maybe ever, but I did this time!
The author’s premise is that we don’t finish what we start because of perfectionism. He goes into the many ways perfectionism shows up and offers some ideas on finishing anyway. Here are a few points that I’ve already either put into practice or have been coming to mind (a lot):
Cut Your Goal in Half
I really like this one. In my case I came up with a number of words I want to write every day. I know I can write that many words because I have scores of blog posts that prove it. I picked a number of words equal to one of my typical blog posts.
Then the words from the book rang in my ear: halve your goal! I took the advice and halved the number of words I intend to write every day. And, that, it turns out is pretty easy to do. When I finish up the words for the day – be it the minimum I specified or a few more – I feel good!
To be honest, I should have also halved the number of days I committed to writing because I don’t meet the goal every day. But that brings us to the next concept from the book.
The Day After Perfect
“The harder you try to be perfect, the less likely you’ll accomplish your goals.”
Jon Acuff, Finish, p. 16
As Acuff explains, the day after your perfect streak ends is a doozy. You eat well 7 days in a row, but on the 8th day you don’t. It’s the day after perfect. And perfectionism tells you this lie: “Quit if it isn’t perfect.”
The author explains you will never perfectly execute on your goal. But armed with the knowledge that “Day 1 isn’t the most important day of the goal. The day after perfect is…” we can be ready for the discomfort of failure and push past it. We can keep pressing on and finish! That is, if we choose to get there…
The Day Before Done
Acuff presents the fears that go with actually finishing. That is, you can finish but you choose not to. One of these is the fear of what happens next. What happens if we do finish and are successful? Will I need to face a new situation that’s worse than not finishing? Acuff uses the example of completing a book. When you complete the book and sell it, you will “open [yourself] to feedback from strangers on Amazon.” The thought of that can be worse than the fear of not finishing.
Acuff presents many more points in a relatable way. It’s an easy read and if you’ve ever left anything unfinished, you’ll want to read this book!